Zeng Xuelin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Zeng Xuelin
曾雪麟

Personal information
Date of birth	(1929-12-02)2 December 1929
Place of birth	Siam
Date of death	11 February 2016(2016-02-11) (aged 86)
Place of death	Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1949–1950	Guangzhou
1951–1953	Southwest Military Region
1954–1955	Bayi Football Team
1955–1957	China PR White
1957–1959	Tianjin
National team
1955–1957	China PR White
Teams managed
1959–1972	Tianjin
1972	Beijing Youth
1973–1982	Beijing
1983–1985	China PR
1998	Shenzhen Ping'an (caretaker)
Honours Men's football Representing  China (as manager) AFC Asian Cup Runner-up 1984
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Zeng Xuelin (Chinese: 曾雪麟; born December 2, 1929 – died February 11, 2016) was a famous Chinese football player and coach. He was known for his skills as a goalkeeper.

Zeng Xuelin played for several teams in China, including Guangzhou and Tianjin. He also played for the China under-23 national team. After he stopped playing, he became a successful coach. He led teams like Tianjin and Beijing to win league titles. Later, he became the manager of the China national team.

Zeng Xuelin's Playing Career

Zeng Xuelin was born in Siam, which is now known as Thailand. When he was seven years old, his family moved back to China. They settled in Meixian in the Guangdong Province.

After high school, he joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army. He played amateur football for the Guangzhou Army team. While studying at university, he played for the Southwest Military Region football team. He was chosen to play for the Bayi Football Team, a top club for the Liberation Army. He even studied football in Hungary.

Later, Zeng Xuelin joined the China national white team. This team was like a "B" national team and played in the main league. In 1957, this team moved to Tianjin and became Tianjin F.C.. Zeng Xuelin was the team captain for two seasons. He helped the team finish second in the first Chinese National Games in 1959. After this, he officially retired as a player.

Zeng Xuelin's Coaching Journey

Zeng Xuelin started coaching even before he fully retired from playing. In February 1959, he became a player-coach for Tianjin. By 1960, he was the official team manager. He quickly found success, winning the 1960 Chinese Jia-A League title and the Chinese FA Cup in the same year.

His team, Tianjin, was often a top contender for titles. Even during the Cultural Revolution, a time of big changes in China that affected sports, Zeng stayed with the club. He even became a consultant.

In 1972, he moved to Beijing football club. He first coached the youth team and then took over the main senior team. He won the league title in his very first season, in 1973. He kept Beijing as a strong team for almost ten years. His time with Beijing ended on a high note when they won the 1982 league title.

After his success with Beijing, Zeng Xuelin became the manager of the China national football team. He helped the team easily qualify for the 1984 AFC Asian Cup. In this tournament, he led the team to a runner-up position, which was a great achievement.

People in China had high hopes for the national team after this success. The team started well in the qualifiers for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. However, they were unexpectedly knocked out when they lost to Hong Kong 2-1 on March 19, 1985. This game led to Zeng Xuelin leaving his role as national team manager. After this, he mostly stepped away from coaching, except for a short time as a caretaker manager for Shenzhen Ping'an.

Zeng Xuelin's Achievements

Manager

Tianjin

• Chinese Jia-A League: 1960

Beijing

• Chinese Jia-A League: 1973, 1982